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Old Flings, Late Bloomer, Alright and Sea of Storms will be descending upon FEST this year. Check out their albums, but also make yourself familiar with the past SA catalog!!! I know all of our bands would appreciate the support and would love to see your friendly faces at their respective show, please come hang out with us and make us feel extra special!

On top of that, we will have a table again at the Fest Flea Market, so come buy some stuff, we wanna go home with a few less boxes, if possible.

We are happy to officially unveil the new Amanda X 7″, “Hundreds and Thousands.” Brooklyn Vegan is premiering the track “Juniper” and also have announced the preorder. The band just finished their full United States tour w/ Spirit of the Beehive and will be heading back out with Protomartyr in October! Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.

We are very excited to announce that we will be working with Junior Astronomers on a new 7″ EP, “Thank You.” The Charlotte, NC band, previously released their debut 2013 LP, “Dead Nostalgia,” via Broken Circles.

The band released a new single today, via their own digital imprint, Fancy Talkers. The track, “6 Weeks in India,” is exclusive to the band, but check it out now on Afropunk.

We’ve been good friends with the band for years now, and chatted about releasing material, and are happy to report, it’s finally happening! The two-song 7″ is already at the plant and we are looking for an early September release, if all goes well. Preorders will be posted within the next couple weeks, but for now, hold your horses!

We are excited to be working with Philadelphia, PA’s own Amanda X on their new 7″ EP, “Hundreds and Thousands.” The two song 7″ EP features new tracks “Quilted” and “Juniper.” This release follows up their 2014 debut LP, “Amnesia” released via Siltbreeze (Halo of Flies, Sebadoh).

With an uninhibited musical dynamic that could only be birthed from three friends, Amanda X delivers with ethereal vocal harmonies, heavy hits and solid guitar work. Formed in late spring of 2012, Amanda X’s members set to work and self-released their first EP, “Ruin The Moment,” on tape a few months later.

Amanda X is comprised of Cat Park (of Bandname on guitar), Tiff Yoon on drums and Kat Bean on bass.

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“Hundreds and Thousands” 7″ EP
(The cassette is being managed by Summer Bummer Records):

Track listing:
Side A: Quilted
Side B: Juniper

The release is limited to 300 7″ EPs in the first pressing. Each copy comes with a digital download card, because it’s 2015, ya know?

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SELF AWARE’s history with the band goes back many years, since we released Bandname’s LP, “Breakfast,” years later Cat Park is coming back home to the label and we couldn’t be any more excited!

We will be releasing preorder info when it gets a little closer to the release. We don’t want to have you order the record and then have to wait like 3 months to receive it. We assure you that they will have copies in time for their tour with Protomartyr. Yes, that Protomartyr.

We are happy to officially get cracking on the Sea of Storms debut LP, “Dead Weight.” Preorders are available in our webstore. The release is limited to 500 copies in the first pressing, so pick it up while you can! 300 copies will be available on black vinyl, while each label (Tor Johnson and Self Aware) will have their own specific preorder colors. We have what we are calling “Yellow Snow,” which is a white record with yellow marbling. Tor Johnson has what they are called “bumblebee” which is black vinyl with yellow marbling.

Who is Sea of Storms? Well, the band hails from Richmond, VA and features ex members of Mouthbreather, Wow Owls, The Setup and Race The Sun. Well, don’t take my word for it, here is what Jeff Byers (Best Practices) had to say:

“These songs won’t ever be on the radio, but they could’ve been. Growing up in the ‘90s, you wouldn’t have heard any of the songs, from Sea of Storms’s debut LP, Dead Weight, on the radio because they hadn’t been written yet. However, if the Richmond, VA power trio had released them roughly 20 years ago, you would’ve had a chance. Growing up in a post-Nevermind era throughout different Virginian cities, the members of Sea of Storms were gripping 7”s from Richmond bands when they could and ripping off a variety of sub-genres that blended together at the time in their high school bands. When the 3/5 of the post-hardcore outfit Mouthbreather formed Sea of Storms in 2012, they brought together a varied archive of influences from Jimmy Eat World to 400 Years to Coheed and Cambria. However, Dead Weight sounds nothing like these bands.

What “Dead Weight” (to be released on Tor Johnson and Self Aware Records) does sounds like is a rock record from a time when Danzig and Smashing Pumpkins were considered fresh, filtered through the distilled punk essence of late-1990s angsty indie rockers such as The Get Up Kids and Blank. Having played together for six years, Sea of Storms’ dynamics are impressive. From bassist John Martin’s rolling bass lines to drummer Chris Brown’s propulsive, metered beats, Sea of Storms has found their groove. Singer/guitarist Brandon Peck makes an excellent front man, creatively filling in space with feedback, riffs and vocals. Take, for example, the hazy rock tracks such as “Weak Ones” and “Crimson Tide”. Dramatic moments ebb and flow with a series of guitar and vocal interplay as the rhythm section holds down the fort, calling to mind Walter Screifels’ projects or a more aggressive, spaced out Hot Rod Circuit. The greatest strengths on Dead Weight are the songs themselves. Sea of Storms are able to craft well-written emotionally-tinged rock anthems without veering into the embarrassing “emo” territory (because that word meant something completely different when they first heard it). Stand out tracks in this vein include “Snake Oil” and album closer “Cedar Run”. While nodding to the past, Sea of Storms looks towards the future, looking to expand on their musical roots how they can. If you’re a fan of big guitars and songs that make you want to drive along open roads with the windows down, Dead Weight is the record you’ve been waiting for.”

We also, need to update you on other happenings with the label, so here we go. The new album from Mineral Girls, “Cozy Body” will be out soon (5/19), so pick that up while you can! The band has progressed tremendously from the release of their debut album, “Something Forever,” and we are very honored to be working with someone local to Charlotte, NC that really espouses all of the values we try to adhere to with this label. If you dig Sebadoh and maybe newer acts like Radiator Hospital, then you really need to check out this new album. Pick up your copy here

We are super excited to be working with PLOW UNITED and THE HEADIES on their split 7″. Our buddies over at Punknews will be streaming the release in full today around 4pm!!!

Around that time, or before, if we are feeling saucy, preorders will be going live on our webstore. We are really stoked about working with these two amazing bands. The packaging on this record will be really awesome. First off, the jackets are being screenprinted by Todd Purse (of The Headies), who also designed the cover art. The release is limited to 500, with 100 being on clear vinyl, 200 on light green, and 200 on light blue vinyl. Each release comes with a digital download card, because this is 2015, and we know what is up. Plow United will have some test press versions of the release that will be sold exclusively at Death To False Hope Festival V, which they will be performing at. Go pick it up there, or miss out on that. We will have all of these colors in stock, and also you can pick them up in one package if you are into that sort of thing.

It’s seriously mind blowing to be working with such amazing bands. I’ve been a fan of Plow United for years and it is awesome watching them still kill it to this day. They have been on fire since the reunion, and we are super excited to help in a small way to keep that fire burning! Check out the webstore, go pick up the new split 7″ and some of our distro items and back catalog while you are at it. Thanks so much for the support!

We are super proud to announce that we are working with Alright on their 7″. Who is Alright you ask? Well the new(er) band features ex and current members of Late Bloomer, It Looks Sad, Pullman Strike and more, so it’s like family to us. A track from the EP, “Cold Feet,” premiered on Stereogum, and it is getting a good response, so that’s nice. The 7″ will be released on March 24th and Negative Fun Records will be assisting with the release. Please pick up a preorder now, because those things are important.

In support of the 7″, Alright will be touring the east coast for a brief trip w/ Late Bloomer. Late Bloomer doesn’t get out on the road too much, so this is will be a rare treat. Go check both bands out if they are coming to your town.

2014 is coming to a close. I feel like this was the quickest year in my life. I guess that is what happens when you morph into an old man. 2014 was one of the best years we had and really opened up a lot of doors. 2015 is going to be a blast and also cause a lot of stress, but that’s what we love about it. Our first release of 2015 will be at the end of January and will be the debut full-length for Family Friend, which is the solo project of Neil Mauney of Late Bloomer. It features a consider amount less shred, if any at all, but focuses more on the singer-songwriter indie-folk side ala Evan Dando, Lou Barlow mixed with Ryan Adams and Bob Dylan. We are releasing the album on cassette and digital formats. The cassette will be pro-printed and limited to 100 copies with a digital download card. You will also be able to find the album on our bandcamp and through Spotify, iTunes and wherever digital music is sold/distributed.

Stay tuned for more updates in regards to 2015. We have a few releases planned and we are excited about all of them!

The Holidays are upon us, and you need more vinyl! For that, we are running a big sale in the webstore. Go check out the “Holiday Sale” tab in our webstore for very cheap, I mean like criminally underpriced items. Then, if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, then enter the code: HOLIDAZE2014 at checkout for 15% on all items.

We also would like to remind you that we have new releases by Totally Slow, Black Market, Viewfinder, Late Bloomer, Alright and Museum Mouth that came out in 2014, pick those releases up NOW, if you missed them the first go around! Basically, just browse around, spend some time, make some hard choices. We have hundreds of distro titles and also lots of awesome shirts that you definitely NEED!

THE FEST is right around the corner!!! It’s an awesome time of year and also really awesome when you have bands playing on it. If you are going down to Gainesville, then make sure you check out Totally Slow, Old Flings, Late Bloomer, Matt Evans and Family Friend.

Totally Slow are Fest Freshmen this year, so make sure you go check them out. Old Flings and Late Bloomer should be familiar names, but could still use your support. Matt Evans (of Old Flings) is doing a solo set. Neil Mauney (of Late Bloomer) played a solo set last year under his own name, but he will be back this year under his new moniker, Family Friend. We plan on releasing his debut album in late 2014 or early 2015. He would appreciate the support too.

Friday:Matt Evans (of Old Flings)
@ Mother’s Pub
(6:30-7:00pm)

Saturday:Totally Slow
@ Durty Nelly’s
(5:30-6:00pm)

Old Flings
@ Rockey’s
(11:20-11:50pm)

Late Bloomer
@ Rockey’s
(12:10-12:40pm)

Sunday:Totally Slow (acoustic)
@ Big Lou’s
(2:10-2:40pm)

Family Friend (Neil Mauney of Late Bloomer)
@ Big Lou’s
(2:50-3:20pm)

Like last year, we released a FREE sampler (on our bandcamp) that gives you an idea with what you can expect from all of our bands, and some of our most recent releases. Check it out and learn all the words!!! Lastly, Have fun at FEST, drink lots of water and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.